With the advent of synthetic materials, many processes and compositions have been developed during the last several decades for simulating granite and other stones in the construction of fixtures and other articles such as sinks, counter tops and miscellaneous decorative objects. The particular compositions and processes used have depended in large part on the specific characteristics of the material being simulated, with different fillers and additives being introduced to match the desired appearance and texture of the final product.
Some prior art compositions and methods utilize a ready-made synthetic-resin chip or chip/filler mixture as raw material for casting the desired article in a mold, typically by a thermosetting process. The solid resin chip or mixture may be blended with other chips of different colors and/or with additional fillers, and the resulting dry mixture is then combined with liquid polyester or acrylic thermosetting resin in the presence of an appropriate catalyst for casting or pouring in a mold, or for spraying for setting onto a surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,599, in the name of James P. Novak, one of the inventors herein, teaches mixing a thermoplastic polyester-resin material with an alumina tri-hydrate (ATH) filler and with a pigment, if desired, in a heated extruder to produce a continuous stream of thermoplastic agglomerate. This product is allowed to cool, then it is cut, ground and screened to a predetermined size, as required to meet the size characteristics of the desired resin-chip product. The resin-chip material so produced may be further mixed with a filler, as required for a particular application, and packaged for sale to commercial users.